Foreign
THAILAND on Thursday said it would prohibit online sales of alcohol in a clampdown on underage drinking after a rise in sales during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Southeast Asian country scrapped a three-week ban on the sale of alcohol in shops in May when it lifted other restrictions, following progress in containing the coronavirus.
The legal drinking age is 20 and the sale of alcohol is prohibited in certain areas like schools and parks.
Report says Thailand already limits the hours that stores can sell alcohol.
“Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the sale of beverages online has increased.
“There were promotions that did not regulate age and location, making it difficult to enforce existing laws,” Deputy Minister of Public Health Satit Pitutacha said in a statement.
The new regulations would come into effect this year and carry a maximum fine of 10,000 baht (320 dollars) and up to six months in prison.
Several grocery retailers in Thailand offer alcoholic products online.
Jerome Le Louer, owner of Wishbeer, an online store for craft beer, wines and spirits said that a more logical decision would be to enforce checking of age.
“We check the ID of our customers when we deliver,” he said.
Le Louer added that retailers could do similar checks online and that cooperation between regulators and businesses would be more effective than prohibition.
Thailand reported six new coronavirus cases, all imported from abroad, marking 38 successive days without any domestic transmission.
On Wednesday, red-light districts in the Thai capital, Bangkok, reopened after over three months of shutdown.
NAN
– July 02, 2020 @ 14:55 GMT
Tags: Thailand to ban online alcohol sales to curb underage drinking
